2025 Favorite Books

Since I’ve been reading pretty much every morning with my cup of tea and Molly, I wanted to tell you about my favorite books that I’ve read this year, and how I’ll be documenting the new ones in 2026.

I decided this year that I would not push myself through books. If I didn’t like the book after the first several chapters, I stopped reading it and moved on. Because of that I didn’t read as many books as in the past, but the ones I read I enjoyed much more!!

Here are several that I gave 5-star rating on Goodreads.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

I couldn’t believe that I was writing down quotes from this work of fiction. “The point of life is life. We are here for each other. When it feels like we are truly alone, that is the moment when we need to do something in order to remember how we connect.” “The difference between a gift and a curse is sometimes just a question of perspective.”

The Postcard by Anne Berest

Absolutely loved this book. It’s called historical fiction, but I see it as creative non-fiction. It’s a difficult subject and why it took me so long to read, but well worth the time.  
 

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

As I finished this book it brought me to tears. It’s a book of hope, second chances, and forgiveness. It made me see forgiveness in a new light. I highly recommend this wonderful work of fiction if you’re looking for a feel good book which might challenge you.

This is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity by Susan Moon

A wonderful memoir/essays. It brought back memories from my own life and gave me another way to look at aging. An easy read to savor.
 

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish

This is my first book by this author, and I was not disappointed. The story is told by Jamie. At points I don’t like him, but then again he’s an interesting character. Kit, a friend, gets killed and the police are after Jamie. Lots of twists and turns. Loved it!

Beginner’s Guide to Cyanotype by Kim Tillyer

I’ve worked with cyanotype but it’s been a few years. I thought this would be a good refresher. It’s perfect for the beginner, but also gave me some ideas. I checked it out from the local library, but will be purchasing my own copy.

Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss

This book was published many years ago, and I’m sure I read it back then. It is an interesting book about past-life therapy that changed both the client and the psychiatrist. It gives the reader a whole new perspective on death and beyond. I’ll be reading some of his other books now.

I joined a new local book club where we are reading this for our January meeting. So far I’ve found this very interest – set in the 1950s. I’m looking forward to discussing it. There are even discussion questions at the back for book clubs.

In the past when I’ve read books, if I find a quote or an idea I just grab a piece of paper or a notebook page and write it down. All those scraps and pages are in my studio/office. This next year I will be more organized. I bought this book journal to keep information on my books read.

I’m hoping this will keep me organized with everything about my books read (and those I started and quit) all in one place. It will be nice to take it to the book club meeting.

If you are new to my website, I do create art. Check out the tutorials under that tab at the top of the page. However, in the past year or so, I’ve spent a lot of my time writing family stories on my Substack blog. If you’d like to see what I’ve been writing about including my mom’s 1950s recipes, check it out at here. It is all free, and a great platform for sharing your passions. I have toyed with moving my art over there, but have decided against that for the time being.

And speaking of art, I’ll be posting in the new year a tutorial on how I made this and other ornaments from Grandma’s vintage quilts. However, they can be made from anything. This angel was made for our annual ornament exchange Dave and I do every year.

Hope you are enjoying this holiday season. It won’t be long and we’ll be turning the page on a new year and new creative possibilities.